Chicago: Part II

By: Shauna Wright

I hope that my last article left you longing for a lavish piece of pizza pie, unless you don’t like pizza, and if that is the case then please stop reading my articles. For the rest of you living-the-right-way people, I will probably continue to disclose infinite information on my terrifically tantalising tastebud experiences. However, I will TRY to mention other aspects of Chicago. But, you know… priorities and all that.

Rising bright and early from my food, or should I say pizza coma, I simply could not wait to explore Chicago further. Particularly, because I’d had a beautiful sleep; all gratitude goes to Giordano’s, of course. I wasn’t feeling hungry in the slightest, which is shocking for ME despite indulging in an abnormal amount of pizza pie.

However, stepping out of the hotel and being greeting with the gift of gorgeous weather resulted in a freshly squeezed juice craving. Despite being on the look-out for a juice bar, Jade and I ended up in Meli’s Café. Thank the food gods that we did! Technically, I wouldn’t have known until my return the next day about just how good the food at Meli’s is. Regardless, the “Flat Belly” smoothie satisfied my craving.

The next stop was The Art Institute of Chicago. I’d feel as though I’d committed some type of self-betrayal if I did not mention how great the coffee here is. For all the latte lovers reading this, the vanilla latte was an absolute dream in a cup.

What an exquisite place the institute is though. I immediately noticed and appreciated the attentiveness given to each exhibit. I particularly enjoyed viewing Claude Monet’s work. I’m not an art expert by any means, but I’m always touched by his use of color: the way that it seems to commend nature, giving it the beauty the justification it so rightfully deserves.

I’d like to also mention the Contemporary section because the works in this section also spoke to me. I think that this was due to the individual expression pouring out of almost every piece. The works graciously extending their arms, opening their palms to gift me with a new and exciting treasure; uniqueness.

Ironically though, my favourite part of visiting the museum was embracing Chicago from the perspective of the terrace. The view from the terrace accentuated Chicago beautifully. In the words of Goethe, “Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking.” This couldn’t be more true during my time on the terrace.

The terrace led us almost directly to Cloud Gate, which is basically a giant mirrored oval. The best part of visiting Cloud Gate was being able to witness the utter fascination and amusement spread across children’s faces as they laughed at their own reflections in the mirror. Nevertheless, it presented yet another cliché tourist photo opportunity. Of course, I unapologetically jumped at the chance of another cliché photo.

As the evening approached us, Jade and I decided to take a slow walk through Grant Park which lead us back to our hotel. Soon enough, it was time to get spruced up and head back out on an extremely important mission of locating a place for dinner….

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2 comments

You visited the Art Institute of Chicago Your fantastic two-part Chicago – Wow! That place is #1 on my ‘Top-Ten Art Galleries to Visit’. I hope you got to view ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’, painted in 1884 by Georges Seurat? This Masterpiece is to be viewed both close up and from afar.

Your fantastic two-part feature has left me ravenous and on a ‘goodies’ hunt…

You visited the Art Institute of Chicago – Wow! That place is #1 on my ‘Top-Ten Art Galleries to Visit’. It must be huge – I really hope you got to view ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’, painted in 1884 by Georges Seurat? I believe this MASTERPIECE is to be viewed both close up and from afar.

By the way, your fantastic two-part feature has left me ravenous and on a ‘goodies’ hunt…